Christmas Traditions
by Strickens
Summary: Several years after the end of the Reaper War, we get a little glimpse into peaceful family life Shepard shares with Liara and their little blue babies.


Well, I haven't written in a long time, so please excuse any errors or sloppy writing. I've just been loving playing the Mass Effect series so much and I wanted to do some silly little happy family Christmas story with Femshep and Liara and little blue babies.

I guueeeess you could say this is set like 6 years or so after the ending of ME3? They obviously saved Shepard from the wreckage (it's my head-cannon that the power released on the Citadel teleported Shep back to Earth as it exploded) and she was found and nursed back to health on Earth before being reunited with her beloved Liara and the rest of her quirky alien family.

I also have this head-cannon that Liara and Shep's sexy times before the Earth mission was also Shep "impregnating" her asari girlfriend because Shep knew she might not return from the mission and wanted Liara to always have a part of her in the form of their child.

Anyway enough ranting, enjoy the story :3

The tables were set, white plates of porcelain reflecting mottled greens and reds from the shimmering tinsel hanging around the room. A stout tree, bushy and deep green, stood in the corner adorned with baubles of silver, purple and blue; a few spots were taken up by what appeared to be decorations hand made by children as gifts to their parents. A poorly drawn Santa coloured in hastily with crayon and marker was stuck proudly to the mantlepiece between two hand-knitted stockings.

A small framed woman stood on a stool in the room beyond that, hanging a set of round globed party lights along the doorway leading into an open backyard.

"Need a hand with that Shep?" a teasing voice came from across the room, a long haired brunette with plump lips smirked up at her Commander from where she prepared a "family recipe for rum balls".  
Shepard finishing attaching the lights and let out a heavy breath, glaring down at her long time friend from behind loose sections of hair as it fell from her messy ponytail. Brushing her palms firmly against her trousers, she stepped down off the stool and took several purposeful strides over to the bench where Ashley was.

A stubby finger dipped into the biscuit and coconut mixture, retrieving a large dollop before pushing it into her mouth to taste her friend's wares. A look of mild confusion and a furrowed brow crossed Shepard's face as she clicked her lips and peered down again at the bowl.

"Jesus Ash, how much rum did you put in this?" Wiping the sticky remainder from her finger against her cargo pants, Shepard turned on her heel and headed for the refrigerator.

"Um, how much is 200ml?" Ashley asked quite legitimately as she peered down at a worn and yellowed recipe book before her. Shepard gave a moment of pause before shaking her head slowly and pulling open the fridge door, retrieving two cans of her favourite import beer.

With a turn, she threw one of the cans at Ashley, who caught it without a second of hesitation and grinned back at her friend.

"Thanks," the brunette chuckled, cracking the can open in unison with Shepard as they both took a long swig of the refreshing, golden liquid.  
Shepard closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the quiet break from preparing the Christmas party. Everything was in place for it to be the best holiday her and her team had ever had, especially considering many of her old friends had never experienced or learned much of human holiday traditions. Of course, she was a fool to believe the quiet would last for very long, for just as she was starting to relax as the warmth of alcohol filled her bloodstream, a cacophony of high pitched laughter and clattering shoes raced in through the backdoor.

The dark haired woman nearly dropped her beer as a bundle of blue rammed straight into her legs, followed by a little turian, both dressed appropriately in floppy Christmas sweaters and panting as grins plastered their faces. Shepard peered down and raised an eyebrow as the little asari smiled brightly up at her, and in that second the saviour of the Universe knew there was no way she could be mad at such adorable little creatures.

Sighing deeply she squatted down, grabbing firmly at the asari's collar and adjusting it so it didn't sit so crooked, making sure it would protect from the cold outside.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to run in the house?" her voice scorned, but was soft and playful, her eyes dancing as she peered over at the girl's turian friend.

"But daddy, we were just playing with Garrus, he said we should act out that time you and him took down all those meanies on Obeyga!" the girl chirped, her smile not waning as Shepard peered over their heads to see an out of breath Garrus finally dragging himself inside.

Hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath, he couldn't stop himself from shooting a sheepish smile towards Shepard, finally standing up straight and bringing a hand to the back of his neck.

"It's Omega, sweety, and Garrus what have I told you about telling the kids war stories?" Shepard gave her blue daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead, pressing her hand into her back as a gesture for her to run along and continue playing with her friend.

The turian swayed his arms lightly as he wandered over to Ashley, a hand slipping around her waist as the other sneaked a dip into the rum ball mixture for a taste. A shake of Ash's head and a light wrist slap promptly warned him away while she did her work, much to his disappointment.

"You know me Shepard, can't help but remember the good ol' days," crossing his arms over his chest and leaning backwards ever so slightly. "Besides, doesn't hurt to start training them up early." This earned the turian a mock glare from Ashley and an eye roll from Shepard, and the Commander was sure she could feel him squirming underneath their scrutinous gazes.

"I'm gonna' go find Liara, don't burn the kitchen down while I'm gone," Shepard took another swig from her beer before placing it down on the counter, not missing the bird flip that Ashley gave her before she turned and trotted off.

Shepard made her way through to the hallway, smiling as she passed the living room and admired their beautiful tree and decorations. She moved quickly to the side as the two children rushed past her once again, clicking her tongue and calling out "Amira!" to her and Liara's daughter but not scolding her again for running through the house.

A light sigh left her lips as she neared the end of the hallway and turned to begin her ascent of the staircase. The wooden steps groaned and cracked underneath her feet, the worn and reused materials that survived the Reaper war still sturdy enough to provide a family home. Coming to the top of the stairs, she turned down the hall to the left, absent mindedly running her fingers along the wall as she went.

Approaching the second door on her left, she slowly eased into the room, smiling lopsidedly as she watched her ever so lovable asari wife; tapping away mercilessly at the holographic keyboard before her, sifting through walls of information. The screen back lit her blue body wonderfully, casting an even paler shade of sky around her. Shepard gingerly walked up behind her, doing her very best to be sneaky and silent. It was going well too, that is, until she was about to wrap her arms around Liara.

"Hello my love, everything coming along downstairs?"

Shepard could practically hear the cheeky smile crossing Liara's face without her even needing to turn around; the Commander wondered just when her lover had developed such acute hearing skills. Pouting regardless, Shepard enclosed her arms around the woman from behind, slithering around her curvacious waist whilst simultaneously nestling her face where neck meets shoulder.

"Everything's fine, I got the last of the lights up. All we're waiting on now is for the rest of the gang to arrive," Shepard let her eyes close as she pressed her lips tenderly to Liara's neck, her hands wandering and splaying over a plump stomach that was mostly hidden underneath the Commander's faded N7 hoodie. The asari woman seemed to have developed a strange attachment to wearing Shepard's garments, not that she minded.

Liara sighed contentedly, leaning back into the embrace as she waved her hand in a sideways motion, signalling her work display to turn off.

"Mmm, she was kicking earlier," the asari hummed softly, a small smile crossing her lips as the firm but loving hands explored and caressed her once again pregnant belly. "I think she's definitely going to take after you."

Thin lips turned up into a crooked smile, Shepard slowly pulling away and using light pressure on her wife's shoulder to spin her in her chair. Those shimmering blue eyes looked up at her expectantly, textured skin crinkling ever so delicately as the Commander placed hands on either side of the Asari.

"Doctor T'soni-Shepard, are you implying that I'm a violent person?" teased the Commander, smiling wickedly as she leant down a few inches, letting her lips linger teasingly above her lover's. Her smile only became more amused as the asari let out a frustrated, hormonal whimper, stretching her neck up in an attempt to mate their lips together.

"Shepard! You shouldn't tease a pregnant woman, that isn't fair!" Liara cried quietly, reaching a hand up to tug at her lover's shirt in an attempt to bring her down for a kiss. Chuckling softly, Shepard reached down into her pants pocket and began fishing for something, much to the curiosity of her now flustered wife.

"Alright, here," proclaimed the dark haired woman, finally retrieving her hand and lifting it between the two with a satisfied grin. The asari stared at her lover, then at the small bundle of odd looking leaves, then back again.

"Is…. this some kind of bizarre human ritual you haven't shown me yet? What exactly is that?" indecisive but curious, Liara chewed at her lower lip as she watched Shepard's lips close in on hers again.

"It's called mistletoe, and I guess you could call it a human ritual. Though, I like to think it's kind of a nice one," with a hand running tenderly along Liara's jawline, she finally closed the distance between their lips, mouths parting slowly to share a soft and loving kiss.

It seemed nothing much was sacred in this house though, as a set of footsteps hurried up the stairs and down the hallway, little Amira bursting into the room to interrupt the two women's little moment of peace.

"Mummy, Daddy, you gotta come, Uncle Joker's here!" the little blue girl announced, the speckled, silvery spots splattering her cheekbones glittering due to her excitement. The girl ran over to them, grabbing a hold of Liara's grey trackpants and tugging happily. "Come on mum, you've been working all morning!"

"Okay, okay, sweety go tell Joker we'll be down in a minute," Liara pushed herself out of her chair, cupping their daughter's cheek tenderly as she responded with an exuberant "Okay!" before taking off as quickly as she had arrived.

A warm hand squeezed at the asari's hip, and Liara found herself being drawn into her lover's arms, staring into icey blue eyes and licking her lips as Shepard moved in once again. A quick but soft kiss made her tingle, and she could feel her own eyes clouding with hormonal, pregnancy-lust as she dug her fingers into her strong lovers shoulders.

"You're not gonna go all 'embrace eternity' on me during Christmas Dinner are you?" chuckled Shepard softly, bumping their noses together as she let her fingers dance up and down Liara's spine. The taller woman shivered at this motion, but smiled in response to the question.

"No promises," she peered down at the mistletoe that in the moment they had shared before had been dropped on the ground. Reaching down, she picked up the bundle of leaves and twirled it between thumb and forefinger, giving Shepard a flirtatious smile as she turned and begun to walk from the room with a sway in her hips.

"I hope you don't mind, I'm bringing this to our bedroom tonight," the connotations hadn't been missed in her voice. Shepard found herself grinning like a teenager as a blotchy pink flush began creeping along her collarbone, and she secretly hoped as she took off after her wife, that tonight's dinner would be over and done with as quickly as humanly possible.


End file.
